"BEEN FARMING LONG?"
So often superintendents of smaller, lower budgeted
courses must try to convince board members to upgrade
fertilizers from farm grade to turf grade. The response is
usually the same. . . grass is monocot like corn and farm
fertilizers are good enough, even cheaper. While it is true
grass and corn start out producing one seed leaf
(monocotyledon) that is where the similarities end.
Technically speaking, grass belongs to the Moncotyledoneae family. . .the same family which includes
onions, garlic, lilies and asparagus! Probably, if one grew
a corn and turf plant side by side and allowed each to
reahc maturity (seed heads) the differences would be
minimal with regard to growth habits.
However, that's not the real world of turf. The plant is
trampled, sheared (sometimes too low), driven over, and
generally abused.
A farmer grows corn for one reason—to produce a fruit.
The plant is allowed to complete a life cycle from juvenile
(vegetative) to reproductive (seed) stages, ending in death.
A turf manager, on the other hand, strives to keep the plant
juvenile, forcing the plant to constantly produce leaves and
frustrating its efforts to produce a seed head (a difficult
task when it comes to the black sheep of the family, Poa
annua).
Mowing is the reason the turf plant stays juvenile. All
this replacement of lost leaves takes incredible energy at
the expense of root development. Corn is allowed to produce roots of 18-24". How many turf managers can boast
that kind of root development?
Because of the larger leaf surface (dry matter) corn can
photosynthesize and manufacture its own carbohydrates,
channeling these sugars into the cob. Thinner leaves like
those of grass, have it more difficult, especially when the
leaf surfaces are mowed away several times a week. Fertilizing turf becomes essential to replace the carbohydrate
supply lost to the mower blades.
From the very beginning the fertilizing of corn and turf
is radically different. In corn fields starter fertilizers (corn
poppers) are disced into the top 4 " of soil. The soil is
friable and can easily encourage good root deveopment.
After the plant is actively growing, the fertilizers are spread
between the rows (banded) at the base of the plant. The
nutrients are able to move into the soil easily and the risk
of foliar burn is minimized.
Turf fertilizers are broadcast directly over the plant and
the importance of selecting a low salt, low burn potential
fertilizer is essential. Below the turf, the soil has not been
disced and usually is compacted from traffic. A heavy
thatch layer adds to the barriers of fertilizers ever reaching
the soil level.
Frequent applications of fertilizers for corn are needed all season long because of the larger leaf surface and
size of the plant. Applications for turf must be timed to
avoid summer stress periods. That means whatever is applied in the spring needs to sustain the plant longer even
throughout the summer in some cases. However, most
agricultural grade fertilizers are of a quick release nature
and are readily available for a very short duration.
Nitrogen is the nutrient required in greatest quantity by
turfgrass. The plant contains 3-5% nitrogen under ideal
situations. Nitrogen is the necessary component in leaf
production, but also provides for amino acids, protein, enzymes and chlorophyll. Cholophyll is the substance produced and stored in the leaves which gives grass its green
color.
However, high nitrogen rates produce excessive aerial
shoots resulting in more frequent mowings and potential
for scalping. Lush growth not only stunts the development
of roots, but also suppresses lateral growth (tillering). A
plant with too much nitrogen experiences depleted carbohydrate reserves, poor tolerance to heat and cold, and
is less resistant to stresses.
Highly soluable fertilizers applied to turf can produce
a softer leaf. This succulent leaf is very susceptible to insect and disease penetration. The stalks also do not have
the rigidity needed to support a golf ball. They flop over
and mat down when mowed. In addition, every mowing
produces an open wound, dangerous during periods of
high fungus activity. The total plant must be in a healthy
state to ward off attacks.
That's another reason to choose the turf professional
grades. Many have developed formulations to include the
minor nutrients or trace elements (calcium, sulfur, boron,
copper, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, magnesium and
iron). Although the amount of these required by a plant
is small, they play an important role in the plant's health.
Minors are primarily catalysts for the plant's enzyme
reactions and "vital signs" such as respiration and
photosynthesis. Of all the minor nutrients, it is probably
iton which recedes the most. Deficient quantities of iron
are evident in turf that takes on a yellow color and
continued on page 54
Authorized Roseman Dealer
Lewis Equipment Co.
(813) 294-5893
320 S.W. 3rd Street
Winter Haven, FL 33880
(813) 451 -5622
"BEEN FARMING LONG?"
continued from page 52
responds poorly to growth.
In addition to nitrogen and the minors, potassium plays
an extremely important part in a turf plant's physiology.
It is involved in keeping photosynthesis (the manufacture
of nutrients from sunlight) in working order. Potassium is
responsible for overall hardiness of a turfgrass. It thickens
cell walls, making for strong support of stalks and defense
against piercing insects and fungus. Thicker cell walls are
also a hedge against water loss from summer stress
periods and winter winds. The turf industry has realized
this and many formulations now offer a higher ratio of
potassium to nitrogen for just such occasions.
Corn doesn't have to live over winter and emerge in the
spring green, healthy and playable. A farmer is judged
on his good yield at the end of the season. If a farmer has
a poor crop, he can have another chance—reseed and
start over.
The turf manager is judged on a daily basis, continually throughout all seasons (How did he survive the winter?
How soon can the course open? How is the turf for the
Fourth of July tournament?). Poor fairways never go un-
noticed. The turf specialists can't'start over. He has to use
the same turf, with often no budget to overseed. He is not
harvesting. . .he is managing.
Some voting members still insist on using the local Ag
Co-Op and offer the superintendent a take it or leave it
policy. In that case, the superintendent is forced to concede "some is better than none". However, employ caution with the application methods.
Because of the higher salt indexes of farm type fertilizers, insist on applications only in early spring or late
fall. Be careful to choose a reputable farmer who pays
strict attention to spreader or tank mix cleanliness. It has
happened that residual herbicides in a tank were responsible for wiping out many fairways.
A good way to introduce members to the benefits of fertilizing with turf type formulations is to run your own experiment on a few fairways. The investment will be
minimal and the members will have a chance to see the
results. One good fairway is all it takes to convince the
membership that the professional way is the way to go.
Fran Vallillo
REMEMBER
Every ¡ob is a self portrait of
the person who did it.
Autograph your work with excellence.
SUPERIOR TURF
CARE PRODUCTS
AND SERVICE
SINCE 1923
TOLL FREE
1-800-432-3413
Atlantic-Florida
East Coast Fertilizer & Chemical Co.
P.O. Box 1488 Homestead, Fla.
• Fertilzer
• Pesticides
• Micronutrients